Metallica17
New Member
Can someone explain what an unlocked processor is? I googled it but I couldn't find anything where some explains what it does.
Processor Unlocking?
- Thread starter Metallica17
- Start date
Jackster22
New Member
"unlocked" ???? Maby its OverClocked your looking for?
Maximus Falcon
New Member
He's talking about processors that have locked cores (like the AMD X3's), but can be unlocked through the BIOS I think.
Metallica17
New Member
I know what overclocking is. If you go to newegg there are processors that are "unlocked" and I don't know what it means.
Maximus Falcon
New Member
It means that the core the manufactuer locked (in order to sell it at a lower price) has been unlocked through the BIOS. Take the AMD Athlon X3 Triple Core processors for example. They are in reality Quad Cores that have 1 core "locked" so that AMD can sound cool and sell them at a lower price than the Quads. Depending on your motherboard, you can "unlock" the hidden core and turn your X3 into an X4. This is only what I understand from it and I'm a computer noob, so don't take what I say too seriously
salvage-this
Active Member
I think what you are asking about is the unlocked multiplier. Line in AMD's Black Edition Processors and the new i5 and i7 that are unlocked. Most cpu's have a multiplier that is locked at the stock speed for that cpu. Like 200(fsb) x 14(multiplier) = 2800Mhz or 2.8Ghz If your multiplier is locked, then the only overclocking that you can do is to raise the fsb to attain a higher clock. If it is unlocked you can just raise up the multiplier and not worry about overclocking the rest of your system with your cpu. Hope that explains it a bit.
FuryRosewood
Active Member
There are two forms of locking
1) locked multipliers, which limits how high the cpu can be clocked from multiplier increases
2) locked cores, which limits the number of functional cores a cpu may have, which seems to be a common thing with the AMD chips now, and can often be unlocked via ACC (Automatic Core Control) which can yield you a triple core or quad out of a dual core chip, for example
ACC is avaliable on most boards now...even the budget ones
1) locked multipliers, which limits how high the cpu can be clocked from multiplier increases
2) locked cores, which limits the number of functional cores a cpu may have, which seems to be a common thing with the AMD chips now, and can often be unlocked via ACC (Automatic Core Control) which can yield you a triple core or quad out of a dual core chip, for example
ACC is avaliable on most boards now...even the budget ones
Metallica17
New Member
Ok thanks everyone I understand what it is now. That is stupid how a triple core is a quad core at a cheaper price but you can only use the three cores unless its unlocked.
FuryRosewood
Active Member
but if your lucky and have the right board, which is pretty much every board nowadays, you can make it into a quad with a little playing in the bios. but yea binning stinks
bomberboysk
Active Member
Its because of yields, if there is a bad core on the chip it will be unstable or not function when "unlocked". Chips are locked soley because of binning, if it has a bad core or core that uses too much wattage, one core will be locked and sold as a Phenom II X3 or X2, etc.
The "Unlocked" processors on newegg have unlocked multipliers for overclocking, examples include the black edition processors from AMD, and the K edition and Extreme Edition processors from newegg.
Metallica17
New Member
Yeah okay I guess that makes sense. I just don't like the thought of a triple core, just quad or dual should be the only cores. Triple seems stupid to me.
bomberboysk
Active Member
There is nothing stupid about it, it helps AMD have a processor of varying degrees for almost every budget out there, say if you are spending $500 for a gaming machine, you may end up with better framerates depending upon the game by having a faster tri core than a cheaper quad(Phenom II X3 710 vs Athlon II X4 630 for instance)..and vice versa. It also helps keep profit margins up at AMD,which in turn keeps the prices of higher end cpu's from AMD cheaper(as otherwise, they lose all investment in any cpu's with a faulty core) so they don't have to discard faulty processors. It makes sense for both economic and consumer situations.
Metallica17
New Member
Yeah it makes sense to them because either way they make money. Any computer company is hungry for money. And they get their money so they will release anything that gives them a profit. Just like this triple core crap.
FuryRosewood
Active Member
pretty much means more yeilds, and less e-trash, and heck it even helps out the end user, with better product, where they may have had been left with single dual or quads, they have more options, like with the new six core chips being out, there is likely to be penta-core chips, which are just deactivated six core chips.
bomberboysk
Active Member
Not necessarily, just because you do not see the value of a triple core processor does not inherently mean there is none. It all has to do with yields, and in the end, the consumer ends up with the advantage. There is far less profit in these chips, as the cheapest Phenom II X2 is the same chip as the Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition, you are talking nearly a $100 difference between the processors, if triple core or dual core processors with "locked"(defective) cores were not sold, the per unit price of each processor would increase by quite alot. The biggest advantage to the triple core chips is the fact that there are certain budget constraints where they fit well, such as the Athlon II X3 which is only a small amount more than the X2's, but less than the X4's. It really allows you to get the most processing power for your money, i run a few systems myself here that run triple core setups because price/performance is really nearly as good as you can get.
Aastii
VIP Member
I am running a Phenom II x3 720BE, and I will tell you why I got it:
1. Cheaper than a quad and I was on a budget. When I got it, my computer have died and I ended up getting a new motherboard, memory and CPU, so wasn't prepared for the forking out of money. I knew it games as well as a quad does, but cost ~half the price of a Phenom II 955
2. I wanted to try and unlock the 4th core for 2 reasons:
i. Just because. I hadn't done it before, so thought, why not give it a try, if I get a bad core, it isn't like I will still have a terrible processor, it will still do everything I want, anything more will just be a bonus.
ii. If I could get it unlocked, I could easily overclock it and get it stable at percfect temps at 3.2 or 3.4 GHz. At those 2 speeds, I effectively have a PhenomII 955, or 965, which at the time were the best of the best, however the difference being I payed £70 for my chip, rather than £140 for the 955, or £155 for the 965. It does do both by the way so yes, I am laughing, I got a 965 for a fraction of the retail price of the chip
3. I was previously on an Intel e6750 which was a 2.66GHz dual core CPU. I didn't want to upgrade to similar as there would be no point. My CPU was fine, but my motherboard had died, and rather than sticking with LGA775, was better to make my computer more futureproof by going to AM3 with DDR3 memory and 6 core CPU support and a few more things. Because of that, I could have got a Phenom II x2 instead, but what would be the point? Although I would get the possibility for going to an x4 CPU, I may as well have gone and got a new LGA775 mobo, as I wouldn't have noticed performance difference. With the tri core CPU though, I see huge difference over my e6750, and it overclocks much further
4. As bbsk mentioned, the price/performance ration is second to very very few. I have used systems with the latest and greatest quad core CPUs, I have used dual core, I have used hex, and honestly, my triple core, although slower in some situations, performs perfectly in any game out now and will run any program perfectly fine, yet, as I mentioned before, I payed much less for my chip, over what others payed for theirs
=EDIT=
oh I should also point out, with the unlock question.
My CPU is both unlocked in the sense that you are onj about how newegg said, as it is a black edition CPU, so has an unlocked multiplyer, and is also unlockable, in the sense that you can unlock the 4th core of the chip
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Jackster22
New Member
I found this last night and it told me about the multipliers...
IDK if it helps you but it did for me
[YT]5a7AxZJ7tWc[/YT]
IDK if it helps you but it did for me
[YT]5a7AxZJ7tWc[/YT]
Metallica17
New Member
I found this last night and it told me about the multipliers...
IDK if it helps you but it did for me
[YT]5a7AxZJ7tWc[/YT]
That's overclocking, not unlocking.
Drenlin
Active Member
It explains what an unlocked multiplier is. If a processor is listed as "unlocked", this is usually what it's talking about.
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FuryRosewood
Active Member
it gave him information he needed, thats what he was trying to say...and honestly its a very nice tutorial on how to overclock a locked or unlocked cpu...so i think its a fairly good demo...